Let me begin by recognizing that it has been way to long since my last blog post. No excuses, only apologies. Now, down to business. No, wait, scratch that! It is fun that brings me back to my readers. This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend the after party of a historic event. The Skate Park of Tampa hosted its 20th Anniversary. Starting on Friday December 8th, "The Spot" opened its doors to hundreds of AM skaters and thousands of pros and viewers combined for the 20th anniversary of the Tampa AM. Although I didn't get to see any of the competition, (work is for the birds), I did have some friends competing and others who attended who all agree it was another great year in skate history.
On the flip side, (see what I did there?), I was lucky enough to attend the official after party of the 20th anniversary which was held at the always entertaining Czar in YBOR. When I read about this event I got so excited I was nervous that I would let the hype get too big and I would in the end be disappointed. I couldn't have been more wrong. Walking into Czar Saturday night was like walking right into living, moving, adrenaline. The music was loud and different in every room with either a live band, a DJ, or better yet, Hip Hop Legends. The ratio of men to women in the beginning, as promised by my sources, was about ten to every one untill later when the night brought in the ladies. Skate boarders from all over the world came to Tampa to show off their skills, and better still, to show of their ability to party.
Killer Mike took the Hip Hop stage first and got the crowd hype by being honest and himself. He told the crowd of rowdy skaters that being on stage was his church, and that skate boarding kept his son out of trouble while he was on tour. Then, Hip Hop legends Souls Of Mischief who were celebrating their 20th anniversary of the single "'93 Till Infinity" joined the party. Their performance was so relevant that it was as if those of us who heard the song for the first time 20 years ago were hearing it again for the first time along side skateboarders who weren't even born when it was originally released. It was the perfect mix of Cali skateboarding and Hip Hop love done Tampa style.
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Age was of no factor this weekend when it came to partying, crowd surfing, and realizing people are still working towards their dreams. I have only YBOR, the Tampa Skate Park, and true Hip Hop for this moment in History.
